NEWARK -- As it turns out, Sami Vatanen’s facial lacerations stemming from a hit against the glass by Pittsburgh’s Derick Brassard on Monday night left him with more than just a few stitches.

It left the Devils’ best defenseman with a concussion. It also leaves the team with a whole lot of minutes to fill and a void on the power play.

With Ben Lovejoy on injured reserve, the Devils will look to a trio of defensemen, Mirco Mueller, Steven Santini and Egor Yakovlev, to make up those minutes until one proves capable of playing the same amount of time as Vatanen, who leads the team in average ice time playing 21:44 per game.

“Someone is going to have to play those minutes,” coach John Hynes said Wednesday after the Devils practiced at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House. “It’s by committee right now. I think (Will) Butcher has taken a step to show he can play some top-four minutes but I think between Steven, Mueller and Yakovlev, we’re going to have to see where they are. But we do need to see one of those players to take a step and be able to handle those minutes.”

For a team already thin on the blue line, losing a player like Vatanen who plays in all situations and against the other team’s top line every night is a huge blow. To try and fill the role with three bottom-pairing defensemen will be tough.

Dallas Stars center Tyler Pitlick (18) and New Jersey Devils defenseman Sami Vatanen (45) skate for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Dallas, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019.(Photo11: LM Otero, AP)

Mueller began the season as a top-pairing defenseman with Vatanen, but has found himself in the pressbox as a healthy scratch more often than not in recent games. Santini has played well as of late, showcasing the growth the Devils wanted to see. Yakovlev has only played 23 games between the American Hockey League and the NHL this season with the team citing the need for the KHL veteran to better adjust to North American ice.

“No one is going to be able to take those minutes but someone is going to have to play in those situations,” Hynes said. “Penalty kill and we have to adjust the power play a little bit and then playing against the top two lines someone is going to have to be out there. No one has taken hold of that role yet so it will kind of be a little bit of an audition.”

Yakovlev was able to play a few games with Binghamton of the AHL over the bye week and with the time spent practicing with the NHL team, Hynes seems hopeful the 27-year-old can finally make the leap.

“For him, the more games he gets the better so it was important for him to play in Binghamton,” Hynes said. “We play the same system, especially defensively. It’s also been nice that we’ve had three good hockey practices which is good for a player like that.”

Brassard received a five-minute elbowing major and was subsequently ejected from the game. He did not have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety.

Hynes seems torn on whether or not there should have been supplemental discipline for the Penguins’ forward.

“I think if there was an elbow extended or a longer path to a hit,” Hynes said. “It’s tough to see Sami like that. He was in a vulnerable position and sometimes it’s on the hitter. It was not an elbow. Blasting a guy in a vulnerable position is a tough spot.”